Smoothies are all the rage in the healthy living community and have been creeping their way into households everywhere. It seems that almost everyone has a blender these days, and many homes are equipped with high speed blenders from Vitamix or Blendtec. That's likely because smoothies are such a delicious and easy way to get fruits and vegetables into your diet, whether it be for breakfast, snack or dessert. If you're like me, you make the same couple combinations over and over again, which can get a little boring. Great news: my friend Tess Masters recently launched two amazing tools to solve this dilemma. Get re-inspired with The Blender Girl Smoothies book and mobile app, which provide 100 innovative and lip-smacking recipes to take your blending beverages to the next level.

For as long as I can remember my favorite soup has been split pea. Perhaps this is because it reminds me of my father, who also loves it and makes it regularly. Who could blame him? Split pea soup is thick, creamy and flavorful with a great salt balance. There's no need to follow the traditional recipe of adding chicken broth and ham - this soup is just as delicious when made entirely with plant-based ingredients.

The following recipe is a twist on the standard split pea soup: sweet potato and smoked paprika are added for a sweet, smoky flavor. If you're as much as a fun as the traditional recipe as I am, you're sure to love this variation. As mentioned in the video, you're encouraged to modify the recipe with whatever you have on hand (such as extra vegetables and unused spices).

And PS: this soup costs about $1.50 a serving even with entirely organic ingredients! If you want more tips on eating well on the cheap check out my ebook "Healthy, Organic Vegan on a Budget."

I can honestly say that Cobi Kim is one of the best people I know. Her passion, compassion and talent is outstanding and I learn from her on a daily basis. Cobi and I met through YouTube, which led us to recording a few videos together, establishing a great friendship and launching an online course about creating a rockstar YouTube channel. If you have yet to discover her vegan recipe videos (aka Veggietorials) your mind is about to be blown and your mouth on the verge of watering. With no further ado, let me turn it over to Cobi to tell you more about herself:

Aloha friends! I’m Cobi Kim, the woman behind Veggietorials, a vegan lifestyle channel with a focus on fabulous food, cruelty-free products and travel. I make snappy, short-form videos and hope to provide a comfortable entry point for people to learn, discover and explore how delicious and beautiful a compassionate lifestyle can be. I’m originally from Hawaii but currently reside in the Pacific Northwest with Winston the Pug.

Health journey: I was a vegetarian for many years but it was not until I worked as a Cooking Instructor for the Cancer Project that I fully realized the incredible healing power of eating a whole-foods, plant-based diet. That shift on my plate enabled me to see all the benefits of living a life devoid of animal products. My goal is to give people simple inspiration, veganize familiar dishes and make eating healthy accessible to all.

Cobi's favorite Eco-Vegan Gal video: "With a catalog of over 550 EvG videos, asking me to pick just one favorite is tough! Extreme Healthy Vegan Cheapskates is a video I’ve shared over and over when people say that eating vegan and healthy on a budget is impossible. I love that Whitney used such a fun approach to provide a fantastic resource for meal inspiration."

On the hunt for gourmet vegan food in Los Angeles? One spot many residents and visits overlook is The Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. Perhaps it's because their plant-based offerings are relatively new, or perhaps there's a resistance based on the upscale nature of the hotel brand. However, if you're looking for a fancy dining experience and phenomenal food you must visit one of the hotel's restaurants: Culina, Windows Lounge and Cabana. And if you're not in the LA area or planning a visit in the near future, you can whip up two of the new gluten-free dishes at home!

This green juice has been hitting the spot recently, so I've been making it almost every day. I love the refreshing, tart grapefruit combined with the spice of ginger and the bitterness of dandelion greens. The pear and cucumber balance out the juice with sweet, mellow flavors, and the spinach adds an extra nutritional punch.

Every once in a while I'm hit with a wave of sneezing, nose blowing and sinus inflammation, and it is extremely frustrating, especially when the neti pot doesn't help. When I last found myself in this miserable state I whipped up a beverage with some anti-inflammatory ingredients in hopes it would soothe my sinuses; and low and behold it did!

This sweet and spicy beverage can help reduce inflammation in many parts of the body, and can be enjoyed warm or cold.

This smoothie is one of the best I've ever had, let alone made at home! Matcha green tea powder is one of my all time favorite culinary flavors, and if you haven't tried it yet it's 'bout time! Or perhaps you've tried it in something like mochi and you just didn't realize what was behind the delicious flavor of that scrumptious dessert. For those unfamiliar, matcha is bright, vibrant green, fine powdered green tea with a rich, sweet flavor. It is high in antioxidants and gives the body a smooth, steady stream of energy for hours. It's traditionally used by whipping the powder and hot water together in a bowl to make a tea drink, which is how the Zen Buddhists prepared it back in the day. Now matcha is common in fancy tea shops and natural cafes, where I get very excited to see it on menus.

Do you find yourself dining out too often because you don't know how to make exciting food at home? I can relate. Almost every day I question whether to go to a restaurant or a grocery store for pre-made food, or wrangle up ingredients in my kitchen and make a meal from scratch. I know the latter is most cost effective, likely healthier, and more sustainable than eating out, but sometimes I'm just lazy! Time gets in the way, and on busy days I dread how long a good meal takes to make (and clean up). Plus, I often crave specific flavors from a chef-made meal that I'm not sure how to reproduce at home. It's for all these reasons that I decided to take an online cooking class, and since I suspect you're in the same boat.

Do you find yourself spending WAY too much moolah at the local smoothie bar and organic cafe? Are you having a love affair with your high speed blender, yet find yourself making the same recipes over and over again? If you found yourself hollering, "yes, Yes, YES!" then you much check out this new book. The Blender Girl: Super-Easy, Super-Healthy Meals, Snacks, Desserts, and Drinks--100 Gluten-Free, Vegan Recipes! by Tess Masters will be on shelves tomorrow (April 8th) and it is going to rock your blender-lovin' world. Below I'll share one of my favorite smoothie recipes from the publication, but first let me give you a little breakdown of this stunning work of art.

In honor of Vegan MoFo (Month of Food) I'm doing a video every day of September on the What A Vegan Eats YouTube channel. Yesterday I made one of my new favorite treats: a durian smoothie. If you've never tried durian this is a great introduction - it's not only easy to make, but it's sweet and creamy. It makes for a filling breakfast and a healthy snack!